Sunday 22 November

Until next time!

It's been a fantastic weekend of Bundesliga action with upsets and high-scoring fixtures aplenty. To leave you on a positive note check out FC Bayern's YouTube clip showing off some of Robert Lewandowski's skills. He may not have got on the scoresheet this weekend, but the Pole certainly has some great tekkers!

Hasenhüttl sings his side's praises

Ingolstadt head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl was delighted with his charges' comeback victory over Darmstadt.

"The belief was there that we could turn the game. I'm really proud of my players! The win is very important for us."

The prospects looked bleak for FC Ingolstadt 04 at half-time of their game against fellow newly-promoted side SV Darmstadt 98, but a second-half turn around saw them clinch their biggest-ever Bundesliga win courtesy of a 3-1 scoreline. Click here to read bundesliga.com's match report.

A first-half own goal from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stand-in captain Eugen Polanski gave Hertha Berlin all three points at the snow-covered Olympiastadion in the weekend's penultimate fixture earlier today. The Old Lady move back into the top four as a result, while Hoffenheim go into the new week bottom of the standings.

"We're proud Herthaner!" said Hertha head coach Pal Dardai after the 1-0 win over Hoffenheim.

FC Bayern München's 3-1 win at FC Schalke 04 on Saturday means the reigning champions have an eight-point lead at the top of the table, but Arjen Robben believes Pep Guardiola's men still face a fight to retain their title.

New record

FC Augsburg recorded their biggest-ever Bundesliga away victory on Saturday, easing to a 4-0 win at fellow strugglers Stuttgart which lifts them off the foot off the table - for now. VfB, meanwhile, remain in deep trouble in 16th place, just one point ahead of Die Fuggerstädter.

Borussia Mönchengladbach registered their seventh win in eight league games against struggling Hannover 96 on Saturday. Raffael scored the all-important goal six minutes from time to hand Andre Schubert's side all three points and lift them up to fourth in the table.

After a game and result like that we're glad that we get to see this hoodie on the sidelines on a permanent basis 😉 pic.twitter.com/jKzIsd0vTL

Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez is once again the talk of Leverkusen after scoring his first Bundesliga brace in Die Werkself's 3-1 victory at Frankfurt on Saturday. "Chicharito is clinical in front of goal and has real quality," enthused Bayer 04 sporting director Rudi Völler. "He's essentially our goal guarantee," added Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Hernandez has now scored 12 times in 15 appearances in all competitions since moving to the BayArena.

Robben the realist

FC Bayern may have opened up an eight-point lead over Borussia Dortmund this weekend, but that does not mean the end of the title race, according to Arjen Robben. "I think it'll be a fight until the end," the Bayern winger said following the defending champions' 3-1 win at Schalke. "Dortmund are a quality side, their defeat to Hamburg doesn't change anything."

Role reversal

As Hoffenheim prepare to take on Hertha in the capital, the club have taken to Twitter to remind us how they celebrated their biggest Bundesliga win against today’s opponents in last season’s corresponding fixture. How times have changed. Last term, it was Hertha fighting relegation and Hoffenheim jostling for the European places. Now it’s the Old Lady flying high and TSG floundering at .

Javi Martinez has not had the best of luck with injuries in recent seasons, but the Spain international was all smiles on Saturday after scoring his first goal since 18 May 2013 to help FC Bayern to a 3-1 win at FC Schalke 04's Veltins-Arena.

Howdy, folks. The race for the UEFA Champions League places is hotting up nicely after Borussia Mönchengladbach and VfL Wolfsburg picked up important wins this weekend, while Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 both suffered defeats. Hertha Berlin dropped to fifth as a result, but can return to the top four with victory over 18th-placed TSG 1899 Hoffenheim this afternoon. After that, it's over to Ingolstadt for the first ever Bundesliga meeting between Die Schanzer and fellow promoted club SV Darmstadt 98.

Saturday 21 November

That's all from us for today. But join us again on Sunday for the build-up to the remaining two fixtures of Matchday 13. See you then.

Live from Gelsenkirchen

Schalke can go fourth with a win, while defending champions FC Bayern are out to extend their lead over second-placed Dortmund to eight points. Follow tonight's game live on Bundesliga radio.

Schalke - FC Bayern line-ups

Pep Guardiola names his 13th different starting XI in as many Bundesliga games, with Moroccan international Medhi Benatia back at the heart of the defence following injury.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel admits his side were well below the expected level at HSV's Volksparkstadion on Friday: "We deserved to lose. I can't explain it right now, but it was clear from the first minute that our body language and attitude were off. It wasn't at the level we expect of ourselves, the level we know we can produce - and we didn't expect that. It was a far cry from what you need to get a good result in the Bundesliga."

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! We have already had one big surprise in the form of Hamburger SV's 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund; what does the rest of the weekend have in store? Stay with us throughout the day as we bring you build-up and reaction to Bundesliga Matchday 13.

Friday 20 November

Dortmund went into the tie as firm favourites to take all three points, but Hamburg had other ideas. Bruno Labbadia's men ran tirelessly and never let their illustrious visitors settle on the ball and deservedly ran out 3-1 winners. Read our full match report here, click through the best images here and find out what the key protagonists made of encounter right here.

It's Bundesliga time!

Finally the two-week wait for Bundesliga action is almost over, with kick-off in the Matchday 13 opener between Hamburger SV and Borussia Dortmund just minutes away. Our rolling updates will be on hold here during the game, but there are a number of ways you can stay on top of the action:

TV: Find your local broadcaster here.Radio: Listen in live on the Bundesliga radio.App: Live updates, stats and more right here.Web: A blow-by-blow account with real-time stats on the ticker.

Line-ups!

The starting XIs for the Matchday 13 opener between Hamburg and Dortmund have been announced. Check out who's in and who's out below:

One of the most intriguing fixtures of the weekend will be played on Sunday when two of the Bundesliga's surprise packages this season go head to head: promoted duo Ingolstadt and Darmstadt. We caught up with both teams' head coaches Ralph Hasenhüttl and Dirk Schuster to hear how they're preparing for it. Click here to read our exclusive interview.

Bayern en route

The Bundesliga leaders are on their way to Gelsenkirchen ahead of tomorrow's game against Schalke.

Bayer 04 face a tough trip away to Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon and will make the journey without captain Lars Bender after head coach Roger Schmidt confirmed the midfielder is not yet ready to play. However, there was positive news too as wing wizard Karim Bellarabi is available once more.

FC Bayern coach Pep Guardiola has spoken in glowing terms of Schalke starlet Leroy Sane ahead of the teams' fixture on Saturday evening. "He’s a huge talent," said the Catalan coach at his pre-match press conference. "He’s a young player. He can play up front, on the right or on the left. Congratulations to Germany! They’ve got another talented young player for the future."

Find out what Borussia Dortmund attacker Henrikh Mkhitaryan makes of his own form so far this season, and what he expects of tonight's game in Hamburg in our exclusive video. We also hear from BVB coach Thomas Tuchel as he looks ahead to the match at the Volksparkstadion, where Dortmund have only earned one point from their last three visits.

Werder Bremen defender Jannik Vestergaard has expressed his delight at the new name a fan has coined for him. Given his imposing stature (199 cm) and quota of 63 per cent of tackles won, 'Weserguard' is not too far-fetched a moniker.

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim head coach Huub Stevens has been speaking to the media ahead of Die Kraichgauer's trip to Berlin on Sunday: "The hardest thing in football is scoring goals, but there's also more to football than that. My players know how we want to play. As a coach, you're never happy. I've seen some good things, but also some that we have to do better." Stevens is still searching for his first win at the TSG helm after replacing Markus Gisdol last month, 17th-placed Hoffenheim having drawn their last two 0-0.

Fan favourites out in force

1. FSV Mainz 05's Yoshinori Muto, Yunus Malli, Loris Karius and Elkin Soto have been signing autographs for fans at the city branch of the Mainz club shop. The 05ers face 1. FC Köln tomorrow.

Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Lars Stindl admits tomorrow's game against former club Hannover 96 will be "a special occasion". The 27-year-old, who has scored three times in the Bundesliga this season, made 161 appearances in all competitions for the Reds during a five-year spell at the HDI-Arena, and even succeeded US international Steve Cherundolo as captain. "It's all still fresh," he told kicker.de . "I still know a lot of people there. There were good and bad times: playing in Europe and the relegation battle. It all stays in your head. Five years is a long time in football."

Dinos on their toes

The Hamburger SV players are "warming up, readying themselves" for the might of second-in-the-table Dortmund.

Still no definitive news of a return date for Franck Ribery, but Guardiola says the French winger is making progress after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ankle problem. The 31-year-old has not played since March.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa is available for tonight's trip to Hamburg, despite clocking up 28,000 air miles during the international break. "He's bearing up," Tuchel said.

After fracturing his hand against FC Ingolstadt 04 on Matchday 11, FC Schalke 04 Benedikt Höwedes is set to make a timely return in Saturday evening's blockbuster showdown against FC Bayern München. "I've been wearing a brace in training," he told club website s04.de. "Obviously it’s a bit unusual to have something so substantial on your arm while you play, but I'm not shirking any challenges [...] I'm really looking forward to the game. Playing Bayern is a challenge, but we're capable of getting something from the game."

Stöger sees Mainz similarities

1. FC Köln's recent run of results mirrors that of 1. FSV Mainz 05, but that is not the only similarity Billy Goats head coach Peter Stöger sees between the two sides ahead of Saturday's head-to-head.

Stöger: "@Mainz05en are dangerous in attack. They've got players that can make the difference. But I think we are similar."
#effzeh#KOEM05

Here's a look at Hamburger SV's matchday squad for tonight's clash with Borussia Dortmund, a match-up that has seen more goals down the years than any other Bundesliga fixture. You can listen to the that one live on Bundesliga radio.

Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer is no longer required to wear a protective face mask, after breaking his nose during the Foals' UEFA Champions League group stage defeat to Manchester City on 30 September. Gladbach host Hannover 96 on Saturday afternoon in Andre Schubert's first game since being appointed permanent head coach.

The Matchday 13 action gets underway up north this evening, as Hamburg take on second-placed Dortmund. BVB have won seven in a row since that mauling at the hands of Bayern in Der Klassiker, but they have failed to win on their last three trips to Hamburg. Here's our match preview.